Before Robin Jones had knee replacement surgery last September, she was worried the reconstructed joint may limit the physical lifestyle she craved.

After one hour in the pool with Luann Sparks, the worry was turned to confidence.

Jones, who lives in Renton, first met Sparks after her doctor suggested aquatic exercise as a means of building muscle tissue before the surgery. She initially came to Sparks’ class at Julius Boehm Pool in Issaquah hoping to lessen her recovery time and mitigate the painful aftermath. More than six months later, and without even a hint of a limp when she steps out of the pool, Jones is still a regular in the class.

“It has been a really good support system,” she said, adding that speaking with other surgery patients and arthritis sufferers has helped her process her own hardships.

Jones was back in the pool only four weeks after surgery and with the help of Sparks and the range-of-motion exercises the class focuses on, spent only two months away from work.

Sparks’ familiarity with rehabbing from major surgery is no coincidence. In addition to her own battle with arthritis, she has undergone a pair of knee replacements and also has a reconstructed shoulder. She has taught aquatics classes in Issaquah for nearly two decades and said she began the arthritis class 18 years ago because of an ever-present need in the community.

With the help of aquatic exercise, many of Sparks’ students have been able to improve mobility, strength and lessen the pain of everyday activities. In one case a man even staved off hip replacement surgery entirely after his aquatic routine left the joint nearly uninhibited.

“We’ve seen people in a wheelchair progress to a cane and then nothing at all,” Sparks said. “They are all here to get better and they have good attitudes because they are survivors. This is my favorite group.”

For many of the participants, activity on dry land has become either too painful or entirely unaccessible, meaning in addition to the physical benefits, their time in the water is the only opportunity to regain the social aspect of exercise.

Sparks keeps the workouts varied to avoid falling into a predictable and ineffective cycle, but the primary purpose of the class is to work all of the joints and muscle systems in the body with the intent of regaining or maintaining full range-of-motion.

“When we speed it up, it adds that strength component and we also work really hard on posture,” Sparks said. “You can do things in the water you could never do on land.”

Julius Boehm Pool is located at 50 SE Clark St. in Issaquah and is open for lap swim and public swim sessions in addition to a variety of classes for all ages. For more information, call 425-837-3350.